To you who appreciate a wine born of a family’s passion, a little elbow grease and a commitment to the simplicity of the artisan approach… we wish you the happiest of holidays and the very best in the New Year.

Cheers!

Well, depending on how you get along with your family, you may just want something with the highest possible alcohol content. If that is the case, disregard and simply look for the ABV on the side of the bottle.

If not, I can recommend a couple of my personal favorites. At August Briggs we love wine with every occasion, however, my best recommendations for your traditional holiday feast are Pinot and Zinfandel. In my opinion, these wines pair best when they are in the “Medium Bodied” category. Pinot, while light, has a terrific range of flavors. It can be light enough for fish, heavy enough for pork, compliments duck, and turkey very well. Zin can do the same, but is slightly less complex and heavier in body. It will pair with many of the same dishes, just with a heavier sauce. The alcohol in the Zin gives it more weight and so you will need to beef up the dish a bit (i.e. sauce!)

If that doesn’t help, just go back to the ABV.

 

Happy holidays!

***Also look for the special on Two Moon Cab coming tomorrow 8/17/10

However, when the right area comes to fruition, a skilled winemaker can take this problem child to the head of the class. August “Joe” Briggs is such a winemaker, having worked with Pinot from the beginning of his career, oh so long ago in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Joe currently makes 3-4 Pinot Noirs each vintage, choosing to let the region and the vineyards manifest the differences among the wines. Each of our Pinots is made very similarly: from barrel selections, time in barrel, yeast strains, and production techniques, allowing the grapes and vineyard signature to shine. Much like children, they all seem to develop their own path to maturity.

In tribute to one of our favorite varietals, June is Pinot Noir month here at August Briggs. There will be at least two current release Pinot Noirs along with barrel samples of next year’s releases available the entire month. You might even catch Joe hanging around the cellar for a barrel tasting and a trip down Pinot memory lane.

One way to try older wines without having aged them yourself is buying library wines. Most wineries in the world hold back varying amount of wine from vintage to vintage, these wines form “the library”. Over time wineries will either sell or pour these older vintages, at special events or for loyal customers. Often the wines sell for more than their original price, much impart to the scarcity and time put into holding the wines. Tasting and/or buying library wines can be a useful tool for a consumer.

Conveniently the month of May is “Library Month” here at August Briggs. We will incorporate older wines into our menus for the tasting room. These wines will also be sold in the tasting room, creating a great opportunity for you to explore our wines with some years behind them. Tasting older wines next to current vintages is a fun way to learn more about the nuances of aging wine. We invite you all to come celebrate the benefits of age with us during the entire month of May.

Check out our website, under events, for information on which library wines are being poured.

Take Dry Creek Valley appellation, where the history of farming grapes dates back to the early French, Italian and Mexican settlers who first took notice of the potential the area had for growing fruitful vines. Most people today think one thing when they hear Dry Creek Valley - Zinfandel. And, with good reason; some of the world’s best Zinfandels are grown there. But Dry Creek Valley is more than Zinfandel, producing fine examples of 10 different varietals as noted by the Wine Growers of Dry Creek Valley, on their website (www.wdcv.com)

At this point you may be thinking, “Ok, but why does a winery in Napa Valley care?” At the risk of loosing our Napa Valley Cabernet membership, the reason is because Dry Creek Valley also produces outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon – in fact it is the most planted grape in Dry Creek Valley. This would be a great question for “Who Wants to be a Millionaire”! That’s right! Cab is the number one planted grape in Dry Creek.

In particular, the reason for this blog posting and why we here at August Briggs care so much about Dry Creek Valley is the Two Moon Vineyard. Nestled in the terrain atop McCray Ridge, it is a gorgeous, true mountain Cab vineyard. Peak elevation is close to 1700 ft, far above the valley floor where many of the Cab plantings lie. With its extreme elevation and thin mountain soils, this vineyard produces complexities that can only come from berries that have struggled for the chance to make great wine. We invite you and yours to come on down to the August Briggs’ tasting room. Once here, we will pour you a complimentary taste of the majestic ‘06 Dry Creek Two Moon Vineyard Cab. Don’t miss this one!

*Look out for our upcoming video blog, which will be shot on location at the Two Moon Vineyard

Climate: We have, for the most part, a Mediterranean type climate. This means we get 70% + of our rain in the winter/fall months and the high and low temperatures are moderate in fluctuations (A good resource: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_climate ).

Grapes/Vines: The vines used in winemaking generally are vitus venifera which are comfortable in this climate, and therefore produce best. The vines go dormant during the winter months, and are triggered by temperature in the spring to bud (if we were near the equator, we would get two crops per year-no dormancy). The grapes themselves are affected most by the weather during the period when they are maturing. The conditions that take place during the dormant season can affect the yield (ton of grapes per acre), which has a dramatic effect on quality, if not managed properly by the vineyard’s caretaker. Too little rain will stress the vine in the opposite manner, and create a lack of fruit. Low crop levels can be beneficial, but only to a certain degree. Rain, excess cold, frost, etc. during the blooming of the grapes (each berry has its own flower) can all affect the grapes in different ways.

This is a lot to comprehend, so if there are any questions pertaining to the general explanations given, please do not hesitate to ask.

(A view from the Crush Pad)

This brings me to shameless self- promotion. I happen to work at a lovely family owned and operated winery in Calistoga; you might know it as August Briggs Winery. We make a variety of wine that highlights and compliments the cuisine of Thanksgiving. Thinking back to Thanksgivings past, our family has centered the meal on Pinot Meunier, Dijon Clone Pinot Noir, and Russian River Pinot Noir. Other wines are always incorporated. However, these three have been chosen to highlight the meal. This year I believe the 07 Carneros Pinot will get the chance to join in the memories. With only 200 cases produced, I do hope that you get the chance to try some. (We do tend to consume much of our own product, in moderation of course.) Many warm Thanksgiving wishes from all of us here at August Briggs Winery!

It just so happens that we, at August Briggs, make two refreshing white wines. Currently we are offering the 07 Carneros Chardonnay in the tasting room. This summer also marks the first release of our Rosé of Syrah. This Rosé was produced in a French style, meaning that it is dry. At a massive production of only 30 cases, jump at your chance to stop in the tasting room and pick up a bottle for a mere $18.00. The family and staff at August Briggs Winery would like to wish you all a Happy and Safe 4th of July!